PCB Board Design Basics

Dated：2018-01-08 Popularity：1146

Basics of PCB board design contains schematics for planning and creating the required circuits, testing and prototyping circuits, designing the appropriate printed circuit boards, and soldering components on the PCB. Other steps in the basics of circuit board design may include testing completed PCBs.

The simple step in the basics of board design is to design the circuit on a single-layer copper board. Other types include double-sided and multilayer printed circuit boards. The copper layer is attached on the fiber or backlite board.

The designed traces are transferred to the copper layer to complete the circuit between terminals such as power, resistors, LEDs, transistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, etc. The basic process of circuit board design as shown below.

Green solder mask helps users properly soldered components in order to avoid accidental electrical contact of designed PCB with other metal or conductive components. A silkscreen is printed on the solder masking allows users to understand the circuit board and its components.

After selecting the board type on the basis of the circuit design, the next is to choose components. The choice of components includes their usability, size and cost.

After the choice of circuit boards and components, the circuit is designed in software for simulation and verification of design ideas. There are various commercial software on the market for design and simulation. Then the circuit design into the best route for the manufacture of printed circuit boards. This is done again with the help of available commercial software.

The important part in the basics of circuit designing is manufacturing of PCB from computer designed routes through etching or appropriate procedure and soldering of selected components on the PCB.

The final step is to verify the PCB design with the appropriate test procedure. This includes inspection of soldered components, components power supply and functional testing of designed circuits.